Written by Joe Cash and Gopal Sharma
BEIJING/KATHMANDU (Reuters) – A 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook the northern slopes of the Himalayas near one of Tibet's holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 53 people and shaking buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and India, Chinese authorities said.
The quake occurred at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT), and its epicenter was in Tengri, a rural Chinese province known as the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to China Earthquake. Networking Center. The US Geological Service said the earthquake's magnitude reached 7.1.
The Xinhua News Agency reported that at least 53 people were killed and 62 injured on the Tibetan side.
The southwestern parts of China, Nepal and northern India are frequently exposed to earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Kathmandu in 2015, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands in Nepal's worst earthquake ever. The dead included at least 18 people who died at Mount Everest base camp when it was crushed by an avalanche.
The epicenter of the earthquake on Tuesday was about 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world and a popular destination for mountaineers and hikers.
Winter is not considered a favorite season for climbers and hikers in Nepal, as the German climber is the only climber who holds a permit to climb Mount Everest. Lilatar Awasthi, a tourism ministry official, said he had already left the base camp after failing to reach the summit.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the tremor was felt by residents of seven mountainous areas bordering Tibet.
“So far, we have not received any information about any loss of life or property,” Dizan Bhattarai, spokesman for the authority, told Reuters. He added: “We have mobilized the police, security forces and local authorities to collect information.”
Many villages in the sparsely populated Nepalese border region are remote and can only be reached on foot.
Aftershocks and damage
The impact of the earthquake was felt in the Shigatze region of Tibet, which is inhabited by 800,000 people. The area is administered by the city of Shigatse, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said comprehensive search and rescue efforts should be made to reduce human casualties, properly resettle those affected, and ensure a safe and warm winter.
Villages in Tingri, where the average elevation is about 4,000-5,000 meters (13,000-16,000 feet), reported strong tremors during the quake, which was followed by dozens of aftershocks measuring 4.4 magnitude.
Collapsed storefronts can be seen in a video posted on social media showing the aftermath of the accident from the town of Lats, with debris strewn on the road.
Reuters was able to confirm the location based on nearby buildings, windows, road layout and signage that matched satellite images and street photos.
Xinhua reported that there are three towns and 27 villages within 20 kilometers of the epicenter, with a total population of about 6,900 people, and more than 1,000 homes were damaged.
She added that local government officials are communicating with nearby towns to measure the impact of the earthquake and verify casualties, and China closed the Everest region to tourists after the earthquake.
CCTV, citing Chinese experts, reported that the Tengri earthquake resulted from a rupture in what is known as the Lhasa Block in an area under pressure from north to south and pressure from west to east.
Since 1950, 21 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater have occurred in the Lhasa region, the largest of which was the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Minling in 2017, according to China Central Television.
Minling is located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, where China plans to build the world's largest hydroelectric dam.
The tremors were also felt in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, about 400 kilometers away, where residents fled their homes.
“The bed was shaking and I thought my child was moving the bed,” said Meera Adhikari, a resident of Kathmandu. “I didn’t care much, but the shaking of the window made me understand that it was an earthquake.” “I'm still shaking with fear and in shock.”
The earthquake also shook Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and the state of Bihar in northern India, bordering Nepal.
Officials in India said that so far there have been no reports of any damage or loss to property.
